Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to an improved approach for implementing configuration of virtual hosts supporting multiple time zones in an enterprise platform.
In a global enterprise setting, records of transactions need to be timestamped based on the time in the locale where the transaction is performed. A legacy approach has been to deploy a local server (e.g., a physical server such as computer with an operating system) in each time zone where a transaction is performed, assign a user to log into that local server, and timestamp the record of the transaction with the timestamp of the time at that local server. Thus, the timestamp on the transaction reflects the local time zone (i.e., the time zone where the transaction is performed).
Legacy approaches serve some of the aforementioned purposes, though they have other unwanted effects, which unwanted effects are often tied to the deployment of the time zone server itself. For instance, each time zone server has associated costs stemming from maintenance costs of the physical server hardware, deployment and maintenance costs for add-on software (e.g., compilers, add-on modules), as well as associated costs stemming from total cost of ownership (e.g., downtime due to reliability, downtime due to software updates, IT maintenance, etc.). Moreover, this legacy approach could require one server for each time zone in which transactions need to be timestamped. This can add significantly to the cost of doing business, especially in a global enterprise setting.
The aforementioned legacy approach not only requires time zone-specific servers, it also does not have the capability to perform transparent configuration of virtual hosts and the applications running on said servers. Therefore, there is a need for an improved approach.